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Gigamon looks to drive ecosystem solution sales with new security-focused spiff program

Gigamon is looking to get partner sales people and engineers thinking more about selling Gigamon’s platform integrated with complementary solutions from over 30 vendor partners.

Network security visibility vendor Gigamon, whose solutions are increasingly being used in security applications, has announced its new Sell Smart Incentive Program. Initially available in the U.S. and Canada, and to Gigamon’s Platinum and top Gold VARs, the program is an unusual one for a vendor in that it is a spiff-based program for selling a complex, multi-vendor solution. It requires selling the GigaSECURE Security Delivery Platform, plus at least two products from the over 30 participating security vendor partners.

The Sell Smart Incentive Program explicitly continues a trend highlighted in the introduction of the Gigamon Professional Services Program this spring, of encouraging partners to become more focused on higher value, higher-margin solution sales and services.

“At this stage, we are very keen on driving partners into being real solution sellers, leveraging the capabilities of our platform,” said Barbara Spicek, Gigamon’s Vice President, Worldwide Channels. “This new program is a continuation of our strategy to enabling VARs to sell that security architecture.”

The SelfSmart campaign furthers this initiative through an alliance with Gigamon’s ecosystem vendors.

“The Sell Smart program incentivizes both sales and sales engineers to sell GigaSecure as a platform, with a minimum of two partners around that, and rewards them with spiffs for doing that,” Spicek said.

“Some of these vendors are also offering their own spiffs for this – and they can stack,” Spicek stated.

Spicek emphasized the innovative nature of the program because it involves ecosystem vendors joining another vendor’s program. Programs like this which offer spiffs around larger solution oriented sales rather than moving a product aren’t yet commonplace, but Spicek said that’s where the industry is headed.

“The old commodity-based spiffs are obsolete now,” she said. “We have had feedback from key VARs and they really like this. They want to get their salespeople and architects to sell solutions. This kind of program gets them to think beyond product, and more about platform and architecture for the customer.”

In the first phase of the program, it will be open to Gigamon’s top Gold and Platinum partners in the U.S. and Canada.

“The plan is to take it to Europe and the broader partner base quickly,” Spicek said.